Electric sit-stand workstation with display support apparatus

ABSTRACT

In one respect, the invention of the present application is an electric sit-stand workstation comprising a stationary column and a height adjustment assembly including an attached worksurface and at least one display support assembly adapted to support at least one electronic display therefrom, wherein the height of the height adjustment assembly with respect to the stationary column is electrically adjustable. Alternate embodiments of sit-stand workstations and methods of using said workstations are also disclosed.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to height-adjustable workstations, moreparticularly to electric height-adjustable workstations capable ofsupporting one or more displays such that that height of the one or moredisplays and the height between the worksurface and the one or moredisplays can be easily adjusted for either seated or standing use bymore than one individual.

BACKGROUND

The use of height-adjustable apparatuses that permit users to change theelevation of their one or more display devices are becoming increasinglypopular. Many of these devices lack the ability to adjust the height ofthe entire workstation area along with the display(s), such that auser's keyboard and other peripherals are not useable when thedisplay(s) are in a raised position. Further, many existing sit-standdevices allow only for adjustment of the entire desk surface, which istypically heavy and therefore requires more than one and/or very largelifting mechanism(s) to be provided. Many existing multi-display devicesare not expandable or reconfigurable in order to support a differentnumber of displays or to support the displays in an array of differentconfigurations. Additionally, many existing devices are notheight-adjustable such that the displays can be quickly and easily movedbetween heights in which the displays can be viewed. Further, manyexisting devices require manual adjustment of the height of the worksurface, or are configurable for use by only one individual at a time.

There is a need for an improved sit-stand workstation that is versatileand configurable according to the wants and needs of individual users.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one respect, the present invention is a support apparatus that issupported by and extends from a support surface, the support apparatuscomprising: a base plate that is adapted to rest on the support surface;a column that is fixed to the base plate and that extends upwardly fromthe base plate and support surface, the column having a height; and aheight adjustment assembly that is height-adjustable along at least aportion of the height of the column with respect to the support surface,the height adjustment assembly comprising a monitor position columnhaving a height, a first support beam assembly attached to the monitorposition column via a first hinge, the first support beam assemblycomprising a first beam member and at least one display support assemblythat is attached to the first beam member, the at least one displaysupport assembly being adapted to support a first electronic displaytherefrom, the first hinge being rotatable about a first generallyvertical axis such that a rotational position of the first beam memberis adjustable with respect to the monitor position column, the at leastone display support assembly being rotatable about a second generallyvertical axis with respect to the first beam member; and a worksurfaceattached to the monitor position column, the worksurface having a topsurface that extends outwardly in a generally horizontal plane from themonitor position column.

In another respect, the present invention is a support apparatus that issupported by and extends from a support surface, the support apparatuscomprising: a base plate that is adapted to rest on the support surface;a column that is fixed to the base plate and that extends upwardly fromthe base plate and support surface, the column having a height and atleast one slot oriented along at least a portion of the height of thecolumn, the column further comprising a carriage at least partiallylocated therein; a motor that is operably connected to the carriage; atleast one input device that is operably connected to the motor, the atleast one input device being adapted to permit a user to operate themotor such that a position of the carriage along the at least a portionof the height of the column is adjustable; and a height adjustmentassembly that is attached to the carriage through the at least one slot,such that adjustment of the position of the carriage along the at leasta portion of the height of the column adjusts the position of the heightadjustment assembly with respect to the support surface accordingly, theheight adjustment assembly comprising a first support beam assemblyincluding a first beam member and at least one display support assemblythat is attached to the first beam member, the at least one displaysupport assembly being adapted to support a first electronic displaytherefrom.

In yet another respect, the present invention is a method of configuringa support apparatus for supporting at least one electronic display, themethod comprising placing a base plate of the support apparatus on asupport surface such that a column that is fixed to the base plateextends upwardly from the base plate and support surface, the columnhaving a height, the support apparatus further comprising a heightadjustment assembly that is height-adjustable along at least a portionof the height of the column with respect to the support surface, theheight adjustment assembly comprising a monitor position column having aheight, a first support beam assembly attached to the monitor positioncolumn via a first hinge, the first support beam assembly comprising afirst beam member and at least one display support assembly that isattached to the first beam member, the first hinge being rotatable abouta first generally vertical axis such that a rotational position of thefirst beam member is adjustable with respect to the monitor positioncolumn, the at least one display support assembly being rotatable abouta second generally vertical axis with respect to the first beam member;and a worksurface attached to the monitor position column, theworksurface having a top surface that extends outwardly in a generallyhorizontal plane from the monitor position column; attaching the atleast one electronic display to the at least one display supportassembly; and rotating the first beam member about the first generallyvertical axis and rotating the at least one display support assemblingabout the second generally vertical axis until the at least oneelectronic display is in a desired spatial and angular position for auser of the support apparatus.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

The electric sit-stand workstation according to the present invention isfurther described with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

FIG. 1 is a perspective front view of an embodiment of a sit-standworkstation according to the present invention, with a height adjustmentassembly thereof in a fully-lowered position;

FIG. 2 is a perspective front view thereof, with the height adjustmentassembly thereof in a partially raised position;

FIG. 3 is a perspective rear view of the sit-stand workstation of FIG.1, with the column back shroud removed to show the interior parts andconstruction of the column;

FIG. 4 is a partial rear view of the bottom end of the column of FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a partial rear view thereof, with some parts removed fromview;

FIG. 6 is a partial rear view of the top end of the column of FIG. 3;

FIG. 7 is a partial exploded view of the column and monitor positioncolumn of the sit-stand workstation of FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 2, showing theinterior of the monitor position column and locking knobs thereof;

FIG. 9 is a sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 2, showing theinterior of the monitor position column and hinges of the support beamrow;

FIGS. 10 and 11 are exploded views of a hinge of the support beam row ofthe sit-stand workstation of FIG. 1;

FIGS. 12 and 13 are partial exploded views of a beam member and tilterassembly of the sit-stand workstation of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 14 is a partial view of the focal point adjustment feature of thesit-stand workstation of FIG. 1.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

The ensuing detailed description provides preferred exemplaryembodiments only, and is not intended to limit the scope, applicability,or configuration of the herein disclosed inventions. Rather, the ensuingdetailed description of the preferred exemplary embodiments will providethose skilled in the art with an enabling description for implementingthe preferred exemplary embodiments in accordance with the hereindisclosed invention. It is understood that various changes may be madein the function and arrangement of elements without departing from thespirit and scope of the invention, as set forth in the appended claims.

To aid in describing the invention, directional terms may be used in thespecification and claims to describe portions of the present invention(e.g., upper, lower, left, right, etc.). These directional definitionsare merely intended to assist in describing and claiming the inventionand are not intended to limit the invention in any way. In addition,reference numerals that are introduced in the specification inassociation with a drawing figure may be repeated in one or moresubsequent figures without additional description in the specification,in order to provide context for other features.

The present application incorporates by reference the entire contents ofU.S. Provisional Application No. 61/912,418, filed Dec. 5, 2013, U.S.Provisional Application No. 62/009,325, filed Jun. 8, 2014, and U.S.patent application Ser. No. 14/561,910, filed Dec. 5, 2014, as if thecontents thereof were set forth herein in their entireties.

For purposes of the specification and appended claims, the term“electrically connected” has the meaning of being wired to or in wiredor wireless connection with such that power and/or electrical signalsmay be directly or indirectly transferred between two parts in one orboth directions.

For purposes of the specification and appended claims, the terms“generally horizontal” or “generally vertical” with respect to an axisor plane have the meanings of being within positive or negative 10degrees of true horizontal or vertical, respectively.

For purposes of the specification and appended claims, the term“approximately” with respect to an angle has the meaning of being withinpositive or negative 5 degrees of that angle.

Sit-stand desks are increasingly common in the workplace to help userscombat the recognized negative health effects of sitting for longperiods of time. Many existing sit-stand devices allow only foradjustment of the entire desk surface, which is typically heavy andtherefore requires more than one and/or heavy-duty lifting mechanism(s)to be used. This drives up the costs of these devices and makes themslower and less energy-efficient to operate. Further, it is now commonfor computer users to simultaneously use multiple displays at theirworkstations. Moreover, it is common for multiple users to use a singleworkstation, which often results in the workstation setup being lessthan ideal for each user or all users, or the users having to undergothe time-consuming process of reconfiguring the workstation. Becausedifferent users have different wants and needs with respect to theirdisplay configuration, it is desirable to have an expandable, modularsit-stand workstation that is highly configurable according to thespecific needs and desires of a particular user.

One example of a manually-adjustable sit-stand workstation is disclosedin U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/561,910, filed Dec. 5, 2014,which published on Jun. 11, 2015 as U.S. Patent Application PublicationNo. US2015/0159804A1. The '910 Application is commonly owned with thepresent application, and the entire contents thereof are incorporatedherein by reference. The sit-stand workstation disclosed in the '910Application is manually height-adjustable using a cable-attached releasemechanism that temporarily frees movement of a gas cylinder that is usedto reposition and support the height adjustment assembly of thesit-stand workstation.

Referring now generally to FIGS. 1-14, an embodiment of an electricsit-stand workstation 10 according to the present invention will bedescribed in detail. In this embodiment, the workstation 10 isconfigured to support two displays 4 a, 4 b, as will be described infurther detail below. It should be understood that any number ofdisplays could be attached to the workstation 10 in a multitude ofvarious configurations, while remaining within the scope of the presentinvention. As would be appreciated by a person having ordinary skill inthe relevant art, U.S. Provisional Application Nos. 61/912,418 and62/009,325 and U.S. patent application Ser. No. 14/561,910—all of whichare incorporated herein by reference—teach expandable multi-displaysupport apparatuses having many component parts that are interchangeablewith the workstation 10 according to the present invention, and teachvarious display configurations that could be used with the workstation10 taught herein.

Referring back to FIGS. 1-14, in this embodiment the workstation 10comprises a base plate 12 for supporting the workstation 10 atop anexisting support surface 2, which may be, for example, a desktop ortabletop surface. The support surface 2 (see FIG. 1) is assumed to beplanar and lies in a plane “A.” The base plate 12 has a bottom surface13 that is planar and that lies in a plane “B” (not labeled) and a topsurface 15 that is planar and that lies in a plane “C.” In thisembodiment, four pads 14 a-14 d are attached to the bottom surface 13,protect the support surface 2 from damage, and allow the user to quicklyand easily slide the workstation 10 around on top of the support surface2. While in this embodiment the base plate 12 permits the workstation 10to be freestanding, the workstation 10 could alternatively be fixedlyattached to the support surface 2 via a clamp mount or through mount. Inalternate embodiments, the base plate 12 could be constructed with oneor more handles, cutouts, or finger notches that permit a user to moreeasily grab the base plate 12 so that the workstation 10 can more easilybe moved about the support surface 2.

As shown in FIG. 3, fasteners 16 a-16 d connect through the bottomsurface 13 of the base plate 12 and are used to attach a column 42 tothe base plate 12. The column 42 comprises a height 43, a column baseplate 44 that is attached to the base plate 12 via the fasteners 16 a-16d, a column front shroud 54, and a column back shroud 50. The columnfront shroud 54 and column back shroud 50 are attached together and tothe column base plate 44. The base plate 12 rests atop the supportsurface 2, and the column 42 and base plate 12 remain in a fixed heightposition with respect to the support surface 2 through all possibleconfigurations of the workstation 10. As will be described in furtherdetail below, a height adjustment assembly 40 is height-adjustable withrespect to the column 42 and support surface 2 so that the attacheddisplays 4 a, 4 b and worksurface 20 can be moved between seated andstanding positions for a particular user. In this embodiment, the column42 extends at an orthogonal angle with respect to the base plate 12. Inalternate embodiments, the column 42 could extend generally vertically,or at greater angles, from the base plate 12.

Turning back to the embodiment of FIGS. 1-14, the height adjustmentassembly 40 is attached to a carriage 78 that is located primarilywithin the column 42, and adjustment of the carriage 78 upwardly anddownwardly within the column 42 adjusts the height of the heightadjustment assembly 40, since it is attached to the carriage 78. Theworksurface 20 comprises a bottom surface 24 that lies in a plane “D”and a top surface 22 that lies generally in a plane “E.” In thelowermost position of the height adjustment assembly 40 (as shown inFIG. 1), the bottom surface 24 of the worksurface 20 contacts the topsurface 15 of the base plate 12. When the position of the heightadjustment assembly 40 has been adjusted upwardly (e.g., as shown inFIG. 2), the bottom surface 24 of the worksurface 20 is no longer incontact with the top surface 15 of the base plate 12.

As shown in FIG. 7 a carriage L-plate 64, which comprises a verticalportion 66 and a horizontal portion 74 separated by a bend 72, is usedto attach the worksurface 20 to the carriage 78 via a plurality ofcarriage mounting blocks 82 a-82 d. The carriage mounting blocks 82 a-82d of the carriage 78 extend through a pair of slots 56 a, 56 b locatedin the column front shroud 54. The horizontal portion 74 of the carriageL-plate 64 is located below the worksurface 20 and a worksurface plate26 (see FIG. 7) is located atop the worksurface 20, and a plurality offasteners 28 a-28 d are routed through the worksurface plate 26,worksurface 20, and into the horizontal portion 74 of the carriageL-plate 64 to thereby clamp the worksurface 20 between the worksurfaceplate 26 and the horizontal portion 74 of the carriage L-plate 64. Aplurality of carriage mounting holes 68 a-68 d are located in thevertical portion 66 of the carriage L-plate 64, and each of a pluralityof fasteners 70 a-70 d is routed through a respective one of theplurality of carriage mounting holes 68 a-68 d and into a respective oneof the carriage mounting blocks 82 a-82 d of the carriage 78 to fixedlyattach the carriage L-plate 64 and worksurface 20 to the carriage 78.

In this embodiment, an accessory tray 30 is located atop the worksurfaceplate 26. The accessory tray 30 has a partially-textured bottom surfaceand can be used to hold electronic devices, e.g., a smartphone ortablet, and/or personal items, e.g., a wallet or keys, in a convenient,easy-to-reach location. It should be understood that, for ease ofdiscussion, in FIG. 7 the worksurface 20 and accessory tray 30 areomitted from view. In this embodiment, the accessory tray 30 has acutout portion that accommodates placement of a control button panel 32therein. In this embodiment, the control button panel 32 comprises an upbutton 33, a down button 34, and a light 35. The up button 33 and downbutton 34 are input devices that allow the user to electrically controlthe height position of the height adjustment assembly 40 and create apersonal programmed height position, as will be discussed in furtherdetail below. In alternate embodiments, the accessory tray 30 could beomitted entirely and/or the control button panel 32 could be locatedelsewhere on the workstation 10. In further alternate embodiments, theaccessory tray 30 could house additional features, for example one ormore USB port(s) and/or Apple Thunderbolt port(s), thus converting theaccessory tray 30 into a docking station capable of recharging theattached devices and/or connecting them with the displays 4 a, 4 b.

Referring back to FIG. 3, a perspective rear view of the column 42 withthe column back shroud 50 removed to show the interior parts andconstruction of the column 42 is provided. The column back shroud 50includes a power plug hole 52 through which a power cord (not shown)would be inserted to power the electric components of the workstation10. The carriage 78, a printed circuit board (“PCB”) 110, a motor 116, alead screw 94, and a pair of guide tubes 86 a, 86 b located within thecolumn front shroud 54 are also visible in FIG. 3. In principle, and asdescribed in further detail below, the carriage 78 moves upwardly anddownwardly within the column 42 along the guide tubes 86 a, 86 b viarotation of the lead screw 94 by the motor 116 in the clockwise orcounter-clockwise rotational direction. The guide tubes 86 a, 86 b keepthe carriage 78 in a fixed orientation, help to support the mass of theheight adjustment assembly 40 and any attached or supported objects, andpermit the lead screw 94 to be used to move the carriage 78 upwardly anddownwardly by preventing rotation of the carriage 78 so that it isforced to ride along the length of the lead screw 94 as the lead screw94 is rotated. In this embodiment, the lead screw 94 is a threaded rodhaving a top end 96 (see FIG. 6) and a bottom end 98 (see FIG. 5).

FIG. 4 is a partial rear view of the bottom end of the column 42, FIG. 5is a partial rear view of the bottom end of the column 42 with someparts removed from view for purposes of discussion, and FIG. 6 is apartial rear view of the top end of the column 42. In this embodiment,the column base plate 44 has a power plug receptacle 46 built therein toaccommodate the insertion of a power plug (not shown). As discussedbelow, power delivered to the workstation 10 via the power plug is usedto electrically power movement of the height adjustment assembly 40. Thelower end of the column front shroud 54 is attached to the column baseplate 44 via a pair of shroud attachment fasteners 53 a, 53 b.

A lead screw support block 104 is fixedly attached to the column baseplate 44 via a pair of fasteners (not shown) that are routed upwardlythrough the bottom of the column base plate 44 into the lead screwsupport block 104. The lead screw support block 104 has a central hole(not labeled) through which the lead screw 94 extends. The PCB 110 isattached to a PCB mounting bracket 112 via four fasteners (not shown).The PCB mounting bracket 112 is supported from the column base plate 44via a pair of fasteners 114 a, 114 b that are passed through the PCBmounting bracket 112 and into mounting holes 48 a, 48 b located in thecolumn base plate 44.

The carriage 78 comprises a main body 80 and the carriage mountingblocks 82 a-82 d discussed above, which are routed through the slots 56a, 56 b of the column front shroud 54 and attached to the heightadjustment assembly 40. The main body 80 of the carriage 78 furthercomprises a pair of guide tube passages 84 a, 84 b through which theguide tubes 86 a, 86 b are routed. A first pair of sleeves 88 a, 88 b isfitted into the top openings of the guide tube passages 84 a, 84 b and asecond pair of sleeves (not shown) is fitted into the bottom openings ofthe guide tube passages 84 a, 84 b. The sleeves 88 a, 88 b act asbushings to prevent metal-on-metal contact between the guide tubes 86 a,86 b and the interior surfaces of the guide tube passages 84 a, 84 b ofthe carriage 78.

The carriage 78 further comprises a lead screw nut hole 90 into which alead screw nut 92 is inserted. The lead screw nut 92 has internalthreading and surrounds the lead screw 94 such that the threading of thelead screw nut 92 mates with the threading of the lead screw 94. Thus,as the lead screw 94 is rotated, the interaction between the lead screw94 and the lead screw nut 92—which is rigidly attached to the carriage78—drives the carriage 78 up and down the guide tubes 86 a, 86 b withinthe column 42. The carriage 78 further comprises a lead screw hole 100in a lower portion thereof, and the lead screw 94 is routed through thislead screw hole 100. In this embodiment, the lead screw 94 does notcontact any portion of the lead screw hole 100. In alternateembodiments, an additional lead screw nut could be located within thelead screw hole 100.

In this embodiment, the motor 116 is a 24V DC motor with a rotatingportion that accommodates placement of a hex nut therein. As shown inFIG. 5, a lead screw adapter 102 is fitted to the bottom end 98 of thelead screw 94 and the exterior surfaces of the lead screw adapter 102engage the rotating portion (not shown) of the motor 116. In alternateembodiments, any suitable motor and lead screw adapter could be used toengage the lead screw 94 and cause its rotation, as would be appreciatedby one having ordinary skill in the art.

The lower ends of the guide tubes 86 a, 86 b are fitted with inserts(not shown) having internally-threaded holes, and are fixedly attachedto the column base plate 44 via a pair of fasteners (not shown) that arerouted up through the underside of the column base plate 44 and into theinternally-threaded holes of the inserts that have been placed into theends of the guide tubes 86 a, 86 b. Similarly, the top ends of the guidetubes 86 a, 86 b are fitted with inserts (not shown) haveinternally-threaded holes and are fixedly attached to a column top plate130 (see FIG. 6) that is attached to the top end of the column frontshroud 54. The column top plate 130 has a pair of guide rod fastenerholes 131 a, 131 b through which guide rod fasteners 150 a, 150 b arerouted and secured to the threaded inserts that have been installed intothe top ends of the guide tubes 86 a, 86 b. The column top plate 130further comprises a lead screw holes 133 into which a lead screw bushing97 has been installed. The top end 96 of the lead screw 94 is installedwithin the lead screw bushing 97 and held rotatably secure within thelead screw hole 133 and lead screw bushing 97. The column top plate 130further comprises a pair of shroud attachment tabs 134 a, 134 b, eachhaving a threaded hole therein. Each fastener of a pair of fasteners 136a, 136 b is routed through a respective side of the column front shroud54 and into the threaded hole in the respective shroud attachment tab134 a, 134 b to secure the top end of the column front shroud 54 to thecolumn top plate 130. A gap cover 144 is additionally provided along theinternal height of the column 42 between the column front shroud 54 andcolumn back shroud 50. A top end of the gap cover 144 comprises a pairof attachment flanges 146 a, 146 b, and each of the attachment flanges146 a, 146 b is secured to the column top plate 130 via a respectivefastener 148 a, 148 b. As partially seen in FIG. 8, the gap cover 144comprises a gap cover slot 145. The gap cover slot 145 permits passageof the wires that are electrically connected between the PCB 110 and thecontrol button panel 32, and provides space for the wires to move as theheight of the height adjustment assembly 40 is adjusted. In an alternateembodiment, the gap cover 144 may be sized so that it does not span theentire internal width of the column 42, thereby leaving a spacealongside the gap cover 144 for passage of the wires.

A lower limit switch 122 comprising a plunger 126 is fixedly attached toa lower limit switch bracket 118 via a pair of fasteners 124 a, 124 b,and the lower limit switch bracket 118 is fixedly attached to the leadscrew support block 104 via a pair of fasteners 120 a, 120 b. Asdiscussed in further detail below, depression of the plunger 126 of thelower limit switch 122 when the carriage 78 moves downwardly intocontact with the plunger 126 sends a signal to the PCB 110 that thecarriage 78 has reaches its terminal lower position, thereby signalingthe motor 116 to no longer rotate the lead screw 94 in the respectiverotational direction. Similarly, an upper limit switch 138 comprising aplunger 142 is fixedly attached to an upper limit switch mountingportion 132 of the column top plate 130 via a pair of fasteners 140 a,140 b. As discussed in further detail below, depression of the plunger142 of the upper limit switch 138 when the carriage 78 moves upwardlyinto contact with the plunger 142 sends a signal to the PCB 110 that thecarriage 78 has reaches its terminal upper position, thereby signalingthe motor 116 to no longer rotate the lead screw 94 in the respectiverotational direction.

The PCB 110 is electrically connected to the control button panel 32,which comprises an “up” button 33 and a “down” button 34. Pressing andreleasing one of the up button 33 or the down button 34 will sends asignal to the PCB 110 to cause the motor 116 to rotate the lead screw 94in a respective one of a clockwise or counter-clockwise direction, basedon the thread handedness of the lead screw 94, until the heightadjustment assembly 40 has reached either the personal programmedposition, or one of the terminal positions if no personal programmedposition has been set. In this embodiment, only one personal programmedposition for the height adjustment assembly 40 is possible. In alternateembodiments, multiple personal programmed positions may be stored in thePCB 110 and selected through multiple preset buttons. In furtheralternate embodiments, the control button panel 32 may further include adisplay screen for displaying personal programmed position informationand allowing one or multiple pre-set positions for the height adjustmentassembly 40.

In this embodiment, the user may go about programming a personalprogrammed position for the height adjustment assembly 40 by: pressingthe down button 34 until the height adjustment assembly 40 has moved toits terminal lowermost position (i.e., its “home” position); moving theheight adjustment assembly 40 upwardly by pressing the up button 33until a desired height has been reached; and then, pressing both the upbutton 33 and the down button 34 simultaneously while the light 35 isstill lit until the light 35 goes out. When the height adjustmentassembly is not in this personal programmed position, pressing the upbutton 33 or down button 34 will move the height adjustment assembly 40into the personal programmed position if this position is in thedirection that was pressed. If the personal programmed position is notin the direction that was pressed, the height adjustment assembly 40will move to its uppermost or lowermost terminal position, respectively.In an alternate embodiment, when the height adjustment assembly 40 isbelow the height of the personal programmed position, pressing the upbutton 33 will move the height adjustment assembly 40 into the personalprogrammed position; but if the height adjustment assembly 40 is abovethe height of the personal programmed position, pressing the down button34 will cause the height adjustment assembly 40 to move all the way downto its home position, rather than stopping at the personal programmedposition. In the present embodiment, the user can also erase thepersonal programmed position setting from memory by: pressing the downbutton 34 until the height adjustment assembly 40 has moved to its homeposition; and then pressing and holding the down button 34 for twoseconds while the height adjustment assembly 40 is in the home position.It should be understood that, in alternate embodiments according to thepresent invention, the methods of setting, re-setting, and selectingpersonal programmed position(s) for the height adjustment assembly couldbe different.

Turning back to the present embodiment, the PCB 110 is also electricallyconnected to the lower limit switch 122 and the upper limit switch 138that detect, respectively, when the carriage 78 has reached its terminallower and upper positions and signal back to the PCB 110 that thecarriage 78 should not be permitted to advance any further in thatdirection. When the PCB 110 has received such a signal from a respectiveone of the lower limit switch 122 and upper limit switch 138, the PCB110 will arrest movement of the rotating portion of the motor 116 in therespective rotational direction.

As would be appreciated by one having ordinary skill in the relevantart, all internal wiring has been omitted from FIGS. 4-6 for ease ofillustration. In this embodiment, the PCB 110, control button panel 32,motor 116, lower limit switch 122, upper limit switch 138, and powerplug receptacle 46 are all electrically connected together. When theends of a power plug (not shown) are inserted into the power plugreceptacle 46 and a wall outlet, power is provided through the powerplug receptacle 46 and its connected wires to the PCB 110, controlbutton panel 32, motor 116, lower limit switch 122, and upper limitswitch 138.

Referring again to FIG. 7, a monitor position column 152 having a height153 is shown. The monitor position column 152 is attached to thecarriage 78 via the carriage L-plate 64. The monitor position column 152comprises a plurality of fastener holes 156 a-156 c and the verticalportion 66 of the carriage L-plate 64 comprises a plurality of fastenerholes 69 a-69 c. A rear slot 172 of the monitor position column 152 (seeFIG. 8) accommodates placement of the vertical portion 66 of thecarriage L-plate 64 therein. The monitor position column 152 is fixedlyattached to the vertical portion 66 of the carriage L-plate 64 byrouting each of a plurality of fasteners 158 a-158 c through arespective one of the fastener holes 156 a-156 c and into a respectiveone of the fastener holes 69 a, 69 c located in the carriage L-plate 64.In this embodiment, the monitor position column 152 is a single-piece ofaluminum formed through an extrusion process. In alternate embodiments,the monitor position column 152 could be made of any suitable material,for example any metal or plastic material, and formed through anysuitable construction process. In the present embodiment, the top end ofthe monitor position column 152 is covered by a top cap 154. The top cap154 provides an aesthetic benefit by covering the top end of the monitorposition column 152, and also serves to arrest upward movement of thesupport beam assemblies 240 a, 240 b along the slots 160 a, 160 blocated on the sides of the monitor position column 152, as will bedescribed below in detail.

FIG. 8 is a sectional view taken along line 8-8 of FIG. 2, and FIG. 9 isa sectional view taken along line 9-9 of FIG. 2. FIGS. 8 and 9 showdetails of the monitor position column 152 and hinges 180 a, 180 b ofthe support beam assemblies 240 a, 240 b that are attached to themonitor position column 152. In this embodiment, each side of themonitor position column 152 has a slot 160 a, 160 b in which arespective hinge 180 a, 180 b of the respective support beam assembly240 a, 240 b can move, in order to adjust the height of a respectivebeam member 242 a, 242 b that is attached to the respective hinge 180 a,180 b. This permits the heights of the beam members 242 a, 242 b—andaccordingly the height of the attached display support assemblies 246 a,246 b and displays 4 a, 4 b—to be adjusted with respect to the locationof the worksurface 20. It is ergonomically desirable to set the heightof the beam members 242 a, 242 b at approximately chin level (so thatthe height of the top line of text appearing on the displays 4 a, 4 b isat approximately eye level), and to set the height of the top surface 22of the worksurface 20 at approximately elbow level. Since the distancebetween these body parts varies among individuals, the freedom to adjustthis distance allows the workstation 10 to be easily adjusted forergonomic use by different users. This adds to the overall versatilityof the workstation 10. These “elbow-to-eye” distances are labeled inFIG. 2 as distances 38 a, 38 b, and are measured for discussion purposesas between the center of the adapter plate 292 of the respective displaysupport assemblies 246 a, 246 b and the top surface 22 of theworksurface 20, although it should be understood that this measurementis an ergonomic approximation, and that the distances 38 a, 38 b neednot be measured in exactly this way.

In this embodiment, the monitor position column 152 further comprises afront slot 173 that is identical in cross-sectional dimension to theslots 160 a, 160 b. If the user desires to add a third display (notshown) to the height adjustment assembly 40, the slide cup of a hingethat is identical to the hinge 180 a may be mounted within the frontslot 173, and a tilter assembly that is identical to the tilter assembly280 may be attached directly to the coupling portion of the slide cup.The position of this slide cup and the attached tilter assembly anddisplay along the height of the monitor position column 152 would beadjustable in the same way as described above with respect to the hinges180 a, 180 b.

In this embodiment, the support beam assembly 240 b is identical to thesupport beam assembly 240 a. Therefore, it should be understood that thediscussion below with respect to the support beam assembly 240a—including its components such as the clamping bar 168 a, hinge 180 a,beam member 242 a, and display support assembly 246 a—is equallyapplicable to the support beam assembly 240 b. A clamping bar 168 a isfitted within the slot 160 a and a clamping bar 168 b is fitted withinthe slot 160 b. As shown in FIG. 11, the clamping bar 168 a has afastener hole 170 and a locking knob hole 169. A slide cup 182 a of thehinge 180 a has a threaded hole 192 and a locking knob hole 191 on asliding portion 190 thereof. A fastener 171 a is routed through thefastener hole 170 of the clamping bar 168 a to fixedly attach theclamping bar 168 a to the slide cup 182 a of the hinge 180 a, and afastener 171 b is routed through the fastener hole (not labeled) of theclamping bar 168 b to fixedly attach the clamping bar 168 b to the slidecup 182 b of the hinge 180 b. A locking knob 162 a having a head 164 aand a shaft 166 a is used to alternately lock and release the positionof the clamping bar 168 a and attached slide cup 182 a of the hinge 180a, to permit the height of the support beam assembly 240 a and attacheddisplay 4 a to be adjusted and fixed within the slot 160 a of themonitor position column 152. A locking knob 162 b having a head 164 band a shaft 166 b is used to alternately lock and release the positionof the clamping bar 168 b and attached slide cup 182 b of the hinge 180b, to permit the height of the support beam assembly 240 b and attacheddisplay 4 b to be adjusted and fixed within the slot 160 b of themonitor position column 152.

The shaft 166 a of the locking knob 162 a is threaded and the lockingknob hole 169 of the clamping bar 168 a is threaded. Tightening of theshaft 166 a of the locking knob 162 a with respect to the clamping bar168 a pulls the clamping bar 168 a more tightly against the outersurface of the slot 160 a, thereby creating sufficient frictional forcesbetween the clamping bar 168 a and the slot 160 a such that the heightposition of the hinge 180 a is fixed within the slot 160 a. When theuser wants to adjust the location of the support beam assembly 240 awithin the slot 160 a, the user rotates the locking knob 162 a until thefriction between the clamping bar 168 a and slot 160 a is reduced untilthe position of the support beam assembly 240 a within the slot 160 a isfreely adjustable along the height of the monitor position column 152.When the user has located the support beam assembly 240 a in the newdesired location within the slot 160 a, they would again rotate thelocking knob 162 a until the clamping bar 168 a is firmly pressedagainst the surface of the slot 160 a.

Hinges 180 a, 180 b permit the respective attached support beamassemblies 240 a, 240 b to be rotated about generally vertical axes. Asseen in FIG. 9, the hinge 180 a comprises a hinge cap 194 a having ahinge shaft 204 a protruding therefrom, and the hinge 180 b comprises ahinge cap 194 b having a hinge shaft 204 b protruding therefrom. Detailsof the hinge 180 a and its connection with a beam member 242 a of thesupport beam assembly 240 a are shown in FIGS. 10 and 11. The hinge cap194 a comprises a body portion 196, a beam mounting portion 200 having apair of fastener holes 202 a, 202 b for attaching the hinge cap 194 a tothe beam member 242 a, and the hinge shaft 204 a. A respective one of apair of fasteners 244 a, 244 b are each passed through a respective oneof the fastener holes 250 a, 250 b in the beam member 242 a and into arespective one of the fastener holes 202 a, 202 b of the beam mountingportion 200 of the hinge cap 194 a.

As noted above, the hinge shaft 204 a protrudes from the body portion196 of the hinge cap 194 a. A bottom end 208 of the hinge shaft 204 aincludes a threaded hole 210 and a notch 212. The bottom end 208 of thehinge shaft 204 a is inserted through a bushing 214 and into a couplingportion 184 of the slide cup 182 a. The bushing 214 comprises a bodyportion 216, a lip portion 218, and a lengthwise split 220 through boththe body portion 216 and the lip portion 218 that permits thecircumference of the bushing 214 to be temporarily reduced to permitinsertion of the bushing 214 into the coupling portion 184 of the slidecup 182 a. Once installed within the coupling portion 184 of the slidecup 182 a, the split 220 creates an inherent spring force that keeps thebody portion 216 of the bushing 214 snugly within the coupling portion184 of the slide cup 182 a. In this embodiment, the lip portion 218 ofthe bushing 214 is larger than the circumference of the opening in thecoupling portion 184, and keeps the bushing 214 in place within thecoupling portion 184. The lip portion 218 of the bushing 214 preventsmetal-on-metal contact between the body portion 196 of the hinge cap 194a and the coupling portion 184 of the slide cup 182 a, and the bodyportion 216 of the bushing 214 prevents metal-on-metal contact betweenthe hinge shaft 204 a of the hinge cap 194 a and the coupling portion184 of the slide cup 182 a. The bushing 214 also includes a set screwgroove 222 running through the lip portion 218 and a portion of the bodyportion 216 thereof.

As noted above, the slide cup 182 a comprises the coupling portion 184and the sliding portion 190. The sliding portion 190 is affixed to theclamping bar 168 a via fastener 171 a. The coupling portion 184 furthercomprises a set screw hole 188. In this embodiment, a set screw 223 isrouted through the set screw hole 188 of the coupling portion 184 andinto contact with an exterior surface of the bushing 214 within the setscrew groove 222. The interaction of the set screw 223 with the setscrew groove 222 of the coupling portion 184 prevents the bushing 214from rotating within the coupling portion 184 of the slide cup 182 a.Further, the user can tighten or loosen the set screw 223 against thebushing 214 in order to impart a desired amount of friction to the hingeshaft 204 a of the hinge cap 194 a. This permits the user to adjust thedegree of freedom of rotation of the hinge 180 a and the attachedsupport beam assembly 240 a.

The bottom end of the coupling portion 184 of the slide cup 182 afurther comprises a rotation stop slot 186 that is located around aportion of the bottom opening of the coupling portion 184. In thisembodiment, the rotation stop slot 186 is located around approximately135 degrees of the 360 degree circumference of the bottom opening of thecoupling portion 184. The hinge 180 a further comprises a dog washer 224comprising a body portion 226, a hole 228, a hinge shaft locking portion230, and a rotation stop portion 232. The dog washer 224 is affixed tothe bottom end 208 of the hinge shaft 204 a of the hinge cap 194 a via afastener 234 that is routed through the hole 228 in the dog washer 224and into the threaded hole 210 located in the bottom end 208 of thehinge shaft 204 a. The dog washer 224 and hinge shaft 204 a arerotationally fixed together by mating the hinge shaft locking portion230 with the notch 212 located in the bottom end 208 of the hinge shaft204 a before the fastener 234 is routed through the hole 228 and affixedto the bottom end 208 of the hinge shaft 204 a via the threaded hole210. This arrangement makes the hinge 180 a more efficient by ensuringthat all components of the hinge 180 a rotate together simultaneously.

In this embodiment, the rotation stop portion 232 of the dog washer 224is located within the rotation stop slot 186 of the bottom end of thecoupling portion 184 of the slide cup 182 a. The interaction of therotation stop portion 232 and the rotation stop slot 186 limits therotational freedom of the hinge 180 a and, accordingly, the attachedbeam member 242 a and display support assembly 246 a. In thisembodiment, the hinge cap 194 a of the hinge 180 a is free to rotate byapproximately 20 degrees to the front relative to parallel with thefront face of the column front shroud 54, and by approximately 45degrees to the rear relative to parallel with the front face of thecolumn front shroud 54. The ability to rotate the hinge 180 a byapproximately 45 degrees rearwardly allows a user to show the attacheddisplay 4 a to another person, whereas the inventors have determinedthat an angle of approximately 20 degrees frontwardly is sufficient formost users' preferences regarding angle monitoring. These angles werealso chosen to ensure standing stability of the workstation 10 if longerbeam members or heavy displays were added to the workstation 10,including where a third monitor is added to the height adjustmentassembly 40 via front slot 173. In alternate embodiments, the rotationstop portion 232 and rotation stop slot 186 could be designed to permitany desired degree of rotational freedom, or the rotation stop portion232 and rotation stop slot 186 could be omitted entirely such that thehinge 180 a has no rotational limitations.

FIGS. 12 and 13 show details of the beam member 242 a and the displaysupport assembly 246 a, which comprises a tilter slide cup 266 and atilter assembly 280. The beam member 242 a comprises a front side 252and a rear side 258. The front side 252 of the beam member 242 acomprises an upper slot 254 and a lower slot 256 that serve as opposingrails for supporting the tilter slide cup 266 therein, and the rear side258 does not include any slots. Therefore, in this embodiment, the beammember 242 a has a generally “C”-shaped cross-sectional shape. Inalternate embodiments, the beam member 242 a could be fitted withopposing upper and lower slots on the rear side 258 thereof.

Returning to the present embodiment, the tilter slide cup 266 comprisesa beam-engaging portion 268 which includes an upper slot-engagingportion 270 and a lower slot-engaging portion 272, and a tiltershaft-engaging portion 276 which includes a hole 277 that receives atilter shaft 284 of the tilter assembly 280. The tilter slide cup 266 isinstalled in the beam member 242 a by sliding the beam-engaging portion268 thereof into one end of the beam member 242 a. Once installed withinthe beam member 242 a, the tilter slide cup 266 (and attached tilterassembly 280 and display 4 a) is slideable along the length 243 a of thebeam member 242 a to adjust the location of the attached display 4 a, asneeded or desired by the user. The tilter slide cup 266 furthercomprises a pair of fastener holes 274 a, 274 b, and each of a pair ofcorresponding cutouts 278 a, 278 b allows a tool (e.g., a screwdriver)to access the respective fastener hole 274 a, 274 b. One or morefasteners (not shown) are routable through the fastener holes 274 a, 274b and into the surface of the front side 252 of the beam member 242 a inorder to restrict or prevent movement of the tilter slide cup 266 alongthe length of the beam member 242 a.

As noted above, the fastener holes 250 a, 250 b at one end of the beammember 242 a are used to attach the beam member 242 a to the hinge 180a. A pair of fastener holes 251 a, 251 b at the other end of the beammember 242 a are used to fixedly attach a beam cap 260 to that end ofthe beam member 242 a. The beam cap 260 prevents the tilter slide cup266 from being accidentally removed from the beam member 242 a. The beamcap 260 has a slot-engaging portion 262 that fits within the upper slot254 and lower slot 256 of the beam member 242 a, and the slot-engagingportion 262 comprises a pair of fastener holes 264 a, 264 b. Once theslot-engaging portion 262 of the beam cap 260 has been inserted into theend of the beam member 242 a, a pair of fasteners (not shown) can bepassed through the fastener holes 251 a, 251 b in the beam member 242 aand into the fastener holes 264 a, 264 b located in the slot-engagingportion 262 of the beam cap 260, to thereby removably fix the beam cap260 to the end of the beam member 242 a. In some embodiments, thefasteners may be self-tapping screws. In alternate embodiments, thefasteners may be threaded bolts and the fastener holes 264 a, 264 b mayhave internal threading that fixedly engages the threading of thefasteners.

A cable router 300 a is also shown in FIGS. 12 and 13. In thisembodiment, the cable router 300 comprises a beam-mounting portion 302that clips around the exterior profile of the beam member 242 a and acable-supporting portion 304 into which one or more device cables couldbe placed. Placing of device cables running from the display 4 a intothe cable-supporting portion 304 of the cable router 300 keeps thecables organized, prevents them from being damaged during use of theworkstation 10 (including during adjustment thereof), and enhances theaesthetic appearance of the workstation 10. In the present embodiment,the cable router 300 can be clipped around and removed from the beammember 242 a without any disassembly of the support beam assembly 240 a.In alternate embodiments, the cable router could attach within the upperslot 254 and/or lower slot 256 of the beam member 242 a and/or requirepartial disassembly of the support beam assembly 240 a for installationor removal.

The tilter assembly 280 comprises a tilter body 282 having the tiltershaft 284 that extends downwardly from the tilter body 282 and thatpermits rotation of the tilter assembly 280 (and the attached display 4a) within the hole 277 of the tilter shaft-engaging portion 276 of thetilter slide cup 266 about a generally vertical axis. The tilterassembly 280 further comprises a center tilt mount 286 that isapproximately “U”-shaped in cross section and that is rotatably attachedto the tilter body 282 about an axis of rotation 290 via a frictioncylinder 288. The friction cylinder 288 has a knurled end portion (notshown) that fixes the friction cylinder 288 with the center tilt mount286 so that the center tilt mount 286 and friction cylinder 288 rotatetogether about the axis of rotation 290.

An adapter plate 292 is fixedly attached to the center tilt mount 286.In this embodiment, the adapter plate 292 comprises a first set of fourdisplay mounting holes 294 a-294 d and a second set of four displaymounting holes 296 a-296 d, which are arranged according to,respectively, VESA-compliant 75 mm and 100 mm square hole patterns. Inalternate embodiments, the adapter plate 292 need not include both setsof mounting holes, could include additional sets of mounting holes, orcould include mounting holes according to some other hole pattern. Inorder to attach the display 4 a to the adapter plate 292, the display 4a is placed adjacent to the front side of the adapter plate 292 and aplurality of display fasteners (not shown) are routed through either thefirst set of display mounting holes 294 a-294 d or the second set ofdisplay mounting holes 296 a-296 d, as appropriate, and into thethreaded holes in the rear side of the display 4 a.

FIG. 14 illustrates the focal point adjustment feature of theworkstation 10 of the present invention. This feature comprisesindependent rotation of the support beam assemblies 240 a, 240 b via thehinges 180 a, 180 b and of the display support assemblies 246 a, 246 b(and attached displays 4 a, 4 b) via the interaction of the tilterassemblies and tilter slide cups (see tilter assembly 280 and tilterslide cup 266 in FIGS. 12 and 13). More specifically, the hinge 180 ahas a generally vertical axis 181 a and the hinge 180 b has a generallyvertical axis 181 b about which the hinges 180 a, 180 b—and attachedsupport beam assemblies 240 a, 240 b and displays 4 a, 4 b—arerotatable, and the display support assemblies 246 a, 246 b haverespective general vertical axes 248 a, 248 b about which the respectivetilter assemblies (e.g., tilter assembly 280) and the attached displays4 a, 4 b are rotatable with respect to the support beam assemblies 240a, 240 b. In this way, the user may change the spatial locations of theattached displays 4 a, 4 b by rotating the support beam assemblies 240a, 240 b about the hinges 180 a, 180 b, and then alter the angle atwhich the displays 4 a, 4 b face the user by rotating the tilterassemblies (e.g., tilter assembly 280) and attached displays 4 a, 4 b.Further ability to adjust the spatial locations of the displays 4 a, 4 bis provided by the ability of the tilter slide cups (e.g., tilter slidecup 266) to slide along the lengths 243 a, 243 b of the respective beammembers 242 a, 242 b, as described in detail above. In this way, theelectric sit-stand workstation 10 according to the present inventiongives the user complete control to customize the spatial and angularrelationship of the displays 4 a, 4 b that have been attached thereto.

Although exemplary implementations of the herein described systems andmethods have been described in detail above, those skilled in the artwill readily appreciate that many additional modifications are possiblein the exemplary embodiments without materially departing from the novelteachings and advantages of the herein described systems and methods.Accordingly, these and all such modifications are intended to beincluded within the scope of the herein described systems and methods.The herein described systems and methods may be better defined by thefollowing exemplary claims.

1.-20. (canceled)
 21. A support apparatus that is supported by andextends from a support surface, the support apparatus comprising: a baseplate that is adapted to rest on the support surface; a column that isfixed to the base plate and that extends upwardly from the base plateand support surface, the column having a height; and a height adjustmentassembly that is electrically height-adjustable along at least a portionof the height of the column with respect to the support surface, theheight adjustment assembly comprising a monitor position column having aheight and at least one display support assembly that is attached to themonitor position column, the at least one display support assembly beingadapted to support a first electronic display therefrom; a worksurfaceattached to the monitor position column, the worksurface having a topsurface that extends outwardly in a generally horizontal plane from themonitor position column; and a printed circuit board (PCB), wherein atleast one desired position of the height adjustment assembly withrespect to the at least a portion of the height of the column may beprogrammed into the PCB as at least one programmed position.
 22. Thesupport apparatus of claim 21, wherein a height position of the at leastone display support assembly is adjustable along at least a portion ofthe height of the monitor position column.
 23. The support apparatus ofclaim 21, further comprising a first support beam assembly attached tothe monitor position column via a first hinge, the first support beamassembly comprising a first beam member and the at least one displaysupport assembly, the first hinge being rotatable about a firstgenerally vertical axis such that a rotational position of the firstbeam member is adjustable with respect to the monitor position column,the at least one display support assembly being rotatable about a secondgenerally vertical axis with respect to the first beam member.
 24. Thesupport apparatus of claim 23, wherein the height adjustment assemblyfurther comprises a second support beam assembly attached to the monitorposition column via a second hinge, the second support beam assemblycomprising a second beam member and at least one additional displaysupport assembly that is attached to the second beam member, the atleast one additional display support assembly being adapted to support asecond electronic display therefrom, the second hinge being rotatableabout a third generally vertical axis such that a rotational position ofthe second beam member is adjustable with respect to the monitorposition column, the at least one additional display support assemblybeing rotatable about a fourth generally vertical axis with respect tothe second beam member.
 25. The support apparatus of claim 24, wherein aheight position of the first support beam assembly is adjustable alongat least a portion of the height of the monitor position column and aheight position of the second support beam assembly is adjustable alongat least a portion of the height of the monitor position column.
 26. Thesupport apparatus of claim 23, wherein the first hinge is adapted topermit the first beam member to be rotated no more than approximately 45degrees rearwardly with respect to a front face of the column and nomore than approximately 20 degrees frontwardly with respect to the frontface of the column, and the second hinge is adapted to permit the secondbeam member to be rotated no more than approximately 45 degreesrearwardly with respect to the front face of the column and no more thanapproximately 20 degrees frontwardly with respect to the front face ofthe column.
 27. The support apparatus of claim 21, further comprising amotor and a control button panel, the motor and control button panelbeing electrically connected to the PCB, the control button panelincluding at least one button that may be pressed to send a signal tothe PCB to send a signal to the motor to electrically adjust the heightadjustment assembly to the at least one programmed position.
 28. Thesupport apparatus of claim 27, further comprising a display screenadapted to display the at least one programmed position.
 29. The supportapparatus of claim 21, further comprising a motor and a control buttonpanel, the motor and control button panel being electrically connectedto the PCB, the control button panel including an up button and a downbutton, wherein when: the up button is pressed when the heightadjustment assembly is located below the at least one programmedposition, the control button panel sends a signal to the PCB to send asignal to the motor to electrically adjust the height adjustmentassembly to the at least one programmed position; and the down button ispressed when the height adjustment assembly is located above the atleast one programmed position, the control button panel sends a signalto the PCB to send a signal to the motor to electrically adjust theheight adjustment assembly to the at least one programmed position. 30.The support apparatus of claim 29, further comprising an upper limitswitch and a lower limit switch, the upper limit switch and lower limitswitch being electrically connected to the PCB, wherein when: the upbutton is pressed when the height adjustment assembly is located abovethe at least one programmed position, the control button panel sends asignal to the PCB to send a signal to the motor to electrically adjustthe height adjustment assembly upwardly until the upper limit switch isdepressed, causing the upper limit switch to send a signal to the PCB tosend a signal to the motor to stop movement of the height adjustmentassembly; and the down button is pressed when the height adjustmentassembly is located below the at least one programmed position, thecontrol button panel sends a signal to the PCB to send a signal to themotor to electrically adjust the height adjustment assembly downwardlyuntil the lower limit switch is depressed, causing the lower limitswitch to send a signal to the PCB to send a signal to the motor to stopmovement of the height adjustment assembly.
 31. The support apparatus ofclaim 21, further comprising a motor, a control button panel, and alower limit switch, the motor, control button panel, and lower limitswitch being electrically connected to the PCB, the control button panelincluding an up button and a down button, wherein when: the up button ispressed when the height adjustment assembly is located below the atleast one programmed position, the control button panel sends a signalto the PCB to send a signal to the motor to electrically adjust theheight adjustment assembly to the at least one programmed position; andthe down button is pressed when the height adjustment assembly islocated above the at least one programmed position, the control buttonpanel sends a signal to the PCB to send a signal to the motor toelectrically adjust the height adjustment assembly downwardly until thelower limit switch is depressed, causing the lower limit switch to senda signal to the PCB to send a signal to the motor to stop movement ofthe height adjustment assembly.
 32. The support apparatus of claim 31,further comprising an upper limit switch that is electrically connectedto the PCB, wherein when the up button is pressed when the heightadjustment assembly is located above the at least one programmedposition, the control button panel sends a signal to the PCB to send asignal to the motor to electrically adjust the height adjustmentassembly upwardly until the upper limit switch is depressed, causing theupper limit switch to send a signal to the PCB to send a signal to themotor to stop movement of the height adjustment assembly.
 33. A methodof operating a support apparatus that is supported by and extends from asupport surface, the support apparatus comprising a base plate that isadapted to rest on the support surface, a column that is fixed to thebase plate and that extends upwardly from the base plate and supportsurface, the column having a height, a height adjustment assembly thatis electrically height-adjustable along at least a portion of the heightof the column with respect to the support surface, at least one displaysupport assembly attached to the height adjustment assembly, the atleast one display support assembly being adapted to support a firstelectronic display therefrom, a worksurface, the worksurface beingattached to the height adjustment assembly and having a top surface thatextends outwardly in a generally horizontal plane from the heightadjustment assembly, and a printed circuit board (PCB), the methodcomprising: programming at least one desired position of the heightadjustment assembly with respect to the at least a portion of the heightof the column into the PCB as at least one programmed position.
 34. Themethod of claim 33, the support apparatus further comprising a controlbutton panel that is electrically connected to the PCB, the controlbutton panel including an up button and a down button, wherein the stepof programming at least one desired position of the height adjustmentassembly with respect to the at least a portion of the height of thecolumn into the PCB as at least one programmed position furthercomprises pressing the down button until the height adjustment assemblyis moved to a lower terminal position along the height of the column,pressing the up button until the height adjustment assembly has beenmoved to the at least one desired position along the height of thecolumn, and pressing the up button and down button simultaneously tosave the at least one desired position in the PCB as the at least oneprogrammed position.
 35. The method of claim 34, the support apparatusfurther comprising a motor, the motor being electrically connected tothe PCB, the method further comprising the step of pressing the upbutton when the height adjustment assembly is located below the at leastone programmed position such that the control button panel sends asignal to the PCB to send a signal to the motor to electrically adjustthe height adjustment assembly to the at least one programmed position.36. The method of claim 34, the support apparatus further comprising amotor, the motor being electrically connected to the PCB, the methodfurther comprising the step of pressing the down button when the heightadjustment assembly is located above the at least one programmedposition such that the control button panel sends a signal to the PCB tosend a signal to the motor to electrically adjust the height adjustmentassembly to the at least one programmed position.
 37. The method ofclaim 33, the height adjustment assembly comprising a height, wherein aposition of the at least one display support assembly along the heightof the height adjustment assembly is adjustable, the method furthercomprising adjusting the position of the at least one display supportassembly along the height of the height adjustment assembly, such thatthe distance between the at least one display support assembly and thetop surface of the worksurface is adjusted.
 38. A method of operating asupport apparatus that is supported by and extends from a supportsurface, the support apparatus comprising a base plate that is adaptedto rest on the support surface, a column that is fixed to the base plateand that extends upwardly from the base plate and support surface, thecolumn having a height, a height adjustment assembly that iselectrically height-adjustable along at least a portion of the height ofthe column with respect to the support surface, at least one displaysupport assembly attached to the height adjustment assembly, the atleast one display support assembly being adapted to support a firstelectronic display therefrom, a worksurface, the worksurface beingattached to the height adjustment assembly and having a top surface thatextends outwardly in a generally horizontal plane from the heightadjustment assembly, a printed circuit board (PCB) adapted to store atleast one desired position of the height adjustment assembly withrespect to the at least a portion of the height of the column therein asat least one programmed position, a control button panel that iselectrically connected to the PCB, the control button panel including atleast one button, and a motor that is electrically connected to the PCBand control button panel, the method comprising pressing the at leastone button, such that if at least one programmed position has beenprogrammed into the PCB and the height adjustment assembly is not in theat least one programmed position, the control button panel sends asignal to the PCB to send a signal to the motor to electrically adjustthe height adjustment assembly to the at least one programmed position.39. The method of claim 38, the control button panel having an up buttonand a down button, the method further comprising: pressing the up buttonwhen the height adjustment assembly is located below the at least oneprogrammed position, such that if at least one programmed position hasbeen programmed into the PCB, the control button panel sends a signal tothe PCB to send a signal to the motor to electrically adjust the heightadjustment assembly to the at least one programmed position; or pressingthe down button when the height adjustment assembly is located above theat least one programmed position, such that if at least one programmedposition has been programmed into the PCB, the control button panelsends a signal to the PCB to send a signal to the motor to electricallyadjust the height adjustment assembly to the at least one programmedposition.
 40. The method of claim 38, the height adjustment assemblycomprising a height, wherein a position of the at least one displaysupport assembly along the height of the height adjustment assembly isadjustable, the method further comprising adjusting the position of theat least one display support assembly along the height of the heightadjustment assembly, such that the distance between the at least onedisplay support assembly and the top surface of the worksurface isadjusted.